


The underpants thief

by Islandida



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Stranger the cat, meet cute?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:53:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25998568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Islandida/pseuds/Islandida
Summary: Sansa has just moved to a new neighbourhood. It's just her and her rescue cat Stranger. One day she finds out that Stranger has been stealing underpants and socks from one of her neighbours. The right thing to do would be to set things right? Wouldn't it? But how does that go over when said neighbour is a grouchy, surly, large man who looks at her as if he thinks she has lost her fucking mind?
Relationships: Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark
Comments: 45
Kudos: 256





	The underpants thief

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SlytherinOwl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinOwl/gifts).



> Hey!  
> So this was a prompt from SlytherinOwl on the SanSan discord server and it wouldn't leave me alone. I have taken some liberties with the interpretation of the prompt but hope that you guys will enjoy this silly little one-shot.
> 
> Oh, and if you want to be a part of the server, contact me and I will get you an invite link!

It was a rather hot summer day and Sansa had thought it the perfect weather to tackle the backyard. She felt rather pleased with her efforts as she cleared out what once must have been a flower bed and now was a mess of weeds. She loved the little house she had moved into just two weeks ago. It was a small two story home with the kitchen, living room and bathroom on the bottom floor and two bedrooms upstairs. She knew that it needed some work, but it was all hers. She wasn’t handy enough to be able to tackle the big projects on her own but she had managed to paint the walls on her bedroom a soft yellow and her father was coming down next weekend to help with the bigger projects, like the fence around the backyard that needed mending.

”We are coming along, nicely. Aren’t we Stranger?” Sansa lifted the wide sun hat she was wearing to protect her pale skin from the strong sun, off her head to wipe at her brow and turned her head to look at the black cat that was sitting on the small stone patio. His judgemental yellow eyes supervising her work.

The cat had come into her life when she had been working at the animal shelter in the previous town she had lived in. He had been a stray and in terrible condition, he had been dropped off and they had suspected he had been hit by a car. Even though he had been badly hurt he had fought anyone who tried to come near him. He had hissed, bit and scratched everyone, until Sansa had approached him. He hadn’t turned into a sweet cuddly kitty but he had allowed her to care for him and once he had healed he had become her shadow. Whenever she was off duty he had spent his days crying and screaming and she knew that he had to come home with her.

He wasn’t the greatest of companions, rarely sought out contact and could be gone for hours outside. But they had an understanding and the few times he had walked in on her crying he had crawled up into her lap and mewled as he pressed himself to her. 

She had been nervous that with moving to a new town he would get lost or run away but so far he went exploring during the day and came back home in time for dinner. She had bought a cat door and her dad was going to install it during his next visit.

”I think I’ve earned some lemonade,” Sansa said to the cat who simply got up and walked around to the side of the house, ignoring her completely. Shaking her head she headed into the kitchen to pour herself a glass.

The kitchen was a bit older with a wooden counter and beige tiles and with white cupboards where the paint was flaking off. She was thinking of painting them pale blue and she wanted to change the tiles but that wasn’t a top priority. At least the whitegoods were in alright condition and the plumbing in both kitchen and bathroom had passed exception.

Sansa wasn’t used to the slightly hotter climate of the south yet so once she had finished her first glass she poured herself another. The doorbell rang and with a big smile she hurried to open it for her younger sister. Arya’s grey eyes were narrowed as she peaked through the hall over Sansa’s shoulder.

”Yeah, this place needs some work.” Sansa rolled her eyes at Arya’s lack of greeting goodnaturedly and grabbed her by the hand to give her a quick tour. As Sansa explained the plans she had for every room Arya’s face loosened up and when Sansa brought her out to the backyard a small smile pulled at her sister’s lips.

”I want to plant sunflowers and daisies over there. And at least a blackberry bush, perhaps even blueberries. They should thrive in this climate,” Sansa said excitedly and turned towards her sister for the final verdict.

”I have to admit that I thought you’d gone mental when you said you had bought this place but now that I am here I see the potential. It’s very you.” Sansa grinned at her sister and just then she caught Stranger sitting on the fence staring at them.

”That better not be a mouse,” she called out as she noticed something dark clutched between his jaws. The cat ignored her as he jumped back down into the backyard and walked confidently over to a part of the garden where Sansa had yet to clear the weeds. ”Hey! You get back here!”

Sansa followed the cat and ignored the hiss of warning he gave as she snatched the item out of his mouth. With wide eyes she held up a huge black sock and turned towards Arya who grinned.

”Based on the size of that thing I assume it’s not yours,” Arya said and Sansa huffed at her. ”You’ve got a thief on your hands.”

Sansa turned back towards the cat and the scolding caught in her throat when she noticed that the cat had laid down beneath a bush and that he was laying on a pile of black cloth. With horror she pushed him aside and pulled out several socks and even six pairs of black boxershorts.

”By the Gods! Stranger!” Sansa admonished angrily, only to hear Arya’s laughter from behind her. ”It’s not funny! We just moved here and he is already ruining things with the neighbours!”

Arya picked up a pair of the socks and it looked even bigger in her hands.

”I am guessing these belong to a man. I mean, look at the size of them!” Arya’s smile turned cheeky as she gave Sansa a once over. ”Maybe you should try to find out who they belong to. I mean being a good neighbour and returning his belongings and all.”

”You really think I should?” Sansa asked and Arya nodded eagerly.

”I mean, yeah. If only for the sake of the size of this dude. If his feet are this big just imagine the size of his cock!” Sansa’s face turned fiery red as she hissed at Arya who only laughed. ”Oh come off it, Sans. I am just kidding. He might have a teeny tiny penis. Doesn’t hurt to find out.”

Sansa threw the sock in her hand at Arya who caught it with another cheeky grin. Arya might be far too crude and not have the right motivation behind her suggestion but Sansa couldn’t shake the idea of returning the stolen items.  That was the neighbourly thing to do, wasn’t it? As she picked the rest of the items off the ground she realised that some had probably been out there in the dirt for days and several had holes from where Stranger seemingly had chewed them.

Perhaps she couldn’t return them, but what about replacing them? She would appreciate it as a contrite effort, had she been the affronted in this case. Since they all seemed to be the same style and size she just had to figure out which neighbour they belonged to. As well as figuring out how to stop her cat from being a thieving devil.

Sansa was walking home from the veterinary clinic, one of the many positive things about her little house was the closeness to her work place, and as she walked down the street towards her home her blue eyes caught on the scraggly black fur of her cat. He was perched on the high planks of a fence and she watched in silence as he jumped down to the backyard, hidden from view. Sansa waited and it took only a few minutes before the cat emerged again, with his prize clutched between his teeth.

“Stranger!” Sansa called out and his yellow eyes zoned in on her but as she moved towards him he turned tail and ran. Sansa cursed beneath her breath but noticed that in his hurry to escape her the cat had lost his stolen goods. With a sigh she picked up the black sock and the size matched the others she had found.

She turned her head towards the house Stranger had apparently been frequenting and took in the humble front with white panels and a dark wooden door. It looked similar to her house, albeit slightly larger but without the flower pots by the windows like on her front, it looked rather plain. Inside lived, who she assumed was a large man with simple taste in socks and underpants. A man that her cat had been stealing from and Sansa decided then and there that she had to make up for that. The cat was her responsibility and her parents had brought her up to value duty and doing the right thing.

“You’ve got to be kidding right?” Arya asked as she followed Sansa through the supermarket. Arya had only planned to stay for a visit for a few days but had decided to stay until next weekend when their dad was coming down. That way she wouldn’t have to pay for a train ticket and Sansa gathered that even if Arya would never admit it, she had missed Sansa just as much as Sansa had missed her. “I was only joking about returning the clothes. I sure as fuck didn’t mean that you should buy him new ones.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Sansa persisted as she tried to find underpants in the same size and model as the ones Stranger had stolen. She was relieved to find that it was a fairly standard kind and after placing the items in her cart among the new flowers she had bought for her garden she turned her attention towards the socks. “Now, I brought the cleanest and nicest of the socks for comparison. Will you help me find the same kind?”

“Seriously? Buying underpants for a complete stranger? Who does that?” Arya said but at Sansa’s disapproving glare she released a huff and actually made an effort to help.

She had been so sure that it had been the right thing to replace the items her cat had stolen and ruined but as she stood outside of the door that belonged to a Sandor Clegane, as she had looked up online, she felt it might have made the wrong call. The bag in her arms felt heavy despite only containing a couple of socks, some underpants and a container of muffins fresh out of the oven and she was contemplating turning around and leaving. Saving herself the possibility of embarrassing herself.

“No, Starks aren’t cowards.” She had barely lifted her hands and knocked before the door was flung open, making Sansa jump slightly. In the door stood the largest man she had ever seen. He was so tall that she had to crane her neck to be able to look up at him and that’s when she realised that he was actually ducking in order to come through the doorway. He was almost as broad as the door was wide and she took a step back when he stepped through it. 

Once she had taken in the size of him her eyes lifted back to his face and a startled gasp escaped her lips as she took in the scarring there. It looked like the reminisce of severe burns that twisted his skin and pulled the side of his mouth into a permanent half snarl. He had a hooked nose and deep grey eyes that were scowling from beneath one thick black eyebrow and she realised that she had been staring when he pushed his long black hair over the burned side of his face. Sansa ducked her head in shame of her behaviour and felt her cheeks flush from embarrassment over the disrespectful way she had acted. There was also a slight tint to her cheeks as she tried to hide how flustered she had been by the intensity in his grey eyes.

“What do you want?” His deep voice was a raspy growl, one that sent a not completely uncomfortable chill down her spine and she forced herself to lift her eyes to look at him.

“I… I am sorry… I live down the street, I just moved in a few weeks ago and it turns out that my cat has been stealing from you.” His eyes widened in surprise and with a shaky breath she held out the bag towards him. “I’ve replaced what he took. Oh and there is also some blueberry muffins in the tin. I hope you like blueberries, I bought them fresh from the market yesterday and…”

“What the fuck are you on about?” He interrupted her rambling with the words spoken in a snarl and Sansa felt her cheeks heat even further.

“My cat… He… stole… clothes…” She said and she hated the way her voice shook but the large man was imposing and his hostile demeanor unsettled her. Yet she didn’t regret coming here, did not regret her effort to make things right.

The man finally took the bag from her outstretched hand and as he looked at the content of it his annoyed scowl turned into a look of surprise and confusion. His grey eyes lifted to Sansa’s and he looked at her like he wasn’t sure if she was real.

“Unfortunately the items were ruined beyond repair and I was unable to figure out what brand they were but I hope these will suffice.” She felt pleased with herself for sounding calm and collected while her insides were fluttering with nerves. He turned her insides even worse when he lifted out a pair of black boxers out of the bag and stared at her. His large hands held the item up and it looked tiny in comparison to the size of his fingers. Sansa wasn't sure why the size of his hands mattered enough for her to focus on regards to the embarrassment she was experiencing. But for some reason it did and the thought wouldn't leave her mind even as he glared at her.

“You bought me underpants? A complete stranger?” He asked and her face had to be beetred as his mouth twisted as if he was fighting a mocking smile. “Who fucking does that?”

“Well my cat stole yours. I just wanted to make up for that. It was the right thing to do.” She said and when he shook his head she felt her embarrassment turn into slight annoyance. Maybe it was the fact that he was stating the same thing as Arya that made her bristle. Or the fact that he wasn’t making any effort to ease an embarrassing situation. If anything, he seemed determined to make her as uncomfortable as he could.

“Most people would just let it fucking be.” Sansa stiffened and with a huff she crossed her arms over her chest and stared down the large man. Or rather stared up at him but the sternness of her eyes didn’t lessen because of his size.

“I am a believer of making things right, which I believe I have done. So I am going to leave you to your day. Good bye.” He simply stared at her and when it didn’t seem as if he was going to say anything she was about to leave but was stopped by the sound of him clearing his throat and she turned back with a raised eyebrow.

“You know my intimates intimately and I don’t even know your name. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” His tone was mocking and the look in his eyes teasing and Sansa glared at him.

“Sansa,” her name left her lips in an angry huff and she surprised herself with revealing it to him. Before he could tease her further she turned and this time she didn’t linger. She was walking down the street at a fast pace, spurred on by her irritation of the large man’s rude behaviour when she heard his deep voice call after her.

“Thank you for the underpants Sansa!”

Sansa’s cheeks burned as she almost ran down to her house and closed the door behind her with a deep sigh.

“I am going to have to move,” she huffed out as she leaned her against the door. Stranger, the rascal, then proceeded to walk into the hallway and had the audacity to look annoyed with her. “Don’t you glare at me. It’s all your fault, you underpants thief.”

Sansa wasn’t a coward, she had never been. But as she was heading to work at the clinic the following morning she might have looked out the kitchen window towards the street, just to check that she didn’t run into  _ that  _ neighbour. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to face him again. He must think her an idiot or a crazy person and surely he would avoid her form now on. She wasn’t sure why the thought of that made her feel a slight twinge of regret. 

She told herself it was just the thought of knowing that someone did not like her, that bothered her. And the fact that he had teased her and made fun of her should outweigh any desire to be neighbourly or friendly with the large imposing man. The very large, very strong looking man.

“Oh don’t go there Sansa,” she scolded herself as she put on her shoes and opened the door. “Just because it’s been months since you last were on a date, it doesn’t mean that you need to thirst after your neighbour. It’s not like he would want anything to do with you ever again, anyway.”

Stranger mewled disapprovingly at her and she glared at him before opening the door. The cat hurried out and she prayed that he wasn’t going to steal anymore clothes. She didn’t not want to have to replace another pair of Sandor’s. She had been so distracted by the cat’s quick get away that she almost missed the container lying on her doorstep.  _ Her tin. _

With a surprised huff she lifted it and realising that it was empty she felt a smile tug at her lips. Hopefully he had actually eaten them and not just thrown them away. For some reason she didn’t think he was the kind of person who would. Granted, she did not know him but he just didn’t seem like the type to turn down something given out of kindness. After all he hadn’t rejected the clothing she had replaced, while he could have.

She realised that there was a yellow post it stuck to the lid of the tin and she narrowed her eyes in order to try and read the scribbled writing.

**They were fucking tasty. And the pants are more comfortable then my old ones. Sandor**

It was with a soft smile that Sansa walked towards work and she had a feeling that Stranger being an underpants thief might not be the worst thing, after all.

  
  



End file.
